Introduction. Success in the licensure examination is the only legal prerequisite to practice as a nurse in Ghana. However, a\nlarge percentage of nursing students who sit fail this examination for the first time. This study sought to unravel whether prior\neducation, sociodemographic characteristics, and nursing Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) could predict performance\nin the licensure examinations. Methods. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted from November 2014 to\nApril 2015 in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana on 176 past nursing students. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed\nusing SPSS version 22. A logistic regression model was fitted to look at the influence of the explanatory variables on the odds\nof passing the licensure examinations. All statistical significances were tested at p value of <0.05. Results. Majority, 56.3%, were\nfemales and 86.4% were between the ages of 25 and 31 years. Most of the students (88.6%) entered the nursing training colleges\nwith a WASSCE qualification and 38% read general science. 73.9% passed the licensure examinations and the mean CGPA of the\nstudents was 2.89 (SD = 0.37). Sociodemographic characteristics and previous education had no influence on performance in the\nlicensure examinations. CGPA had strong positive relationship with performance in licensure examinations (AOR = 15.27; 95% CI\n= 6.28, 27.11). Conclusion. Students CGPA could be a good predictor of their performance in the licensure examinations. On the\nother hand, students� sociodemographic and previous educational characteristics might not be important factors to consider in\nadmitting students into the nursing training programme.
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